CATALOGUING DATA

Brief essay on the denomination and nature of the Aragonese ideological and political movement and the rejection of regionalist denomination

ORIGINAL LANGUAGE:Spanish

DATE:August 5th, 1919

AUTHOR(S):García-Colás, Mariano

REFERENCE PERSONS:

CONTEXT:

In Aragon the autonomist debate had been in a completely volatile state since October 1918. Amongst the most important landmarks were the Regionalist Week and Assembly undertaken in Zaragoza (November and December 1919) and the Aragonese Assembly in Barcelona (December). From them emerged new opinions on the nature and reach of the Aragonese movement.

ABSTRACT

The author rejects the label "regionalism" to name the Aragonese movement, as it is discredited by many as a term that is just a poor imitation of "localism" elevated to the category of clan or tribe. The author's aversion to this interpretation of regionalism makes him proclaim the unmistakable nationalist character of Aragonism.

There are really three written concepts that weave and un-weave their respective affirmations.

The skilled dialectics oppose the concept of localism to regionalism.

They say, more or less, that they do not accept the regionalist ideal, because this is no more than an asphyxiating pretentious localism that would convert us into a clan, a tribe.

We –Aragonese nationalists, internationalists– say that it can in no way become localism, that which due to a circumstantial need, because of temperance, has come to be called regionalism. Regionalism or nationalism - a necessity of modern technical policies, modern technical administrations, a biological and social problem, the basis of the sublime universalism of tomorrow.

We, in our own particular jurisdiction, believe that stating the problem in this way, with the word regionalism, even though it does not become localism, priori (this half word) makes us suspicious of that other more unacceptable one, localism.

The word regionalism does no more than express the fear that its defenders have for clearly presenting the problem just as it is: a solely exclusive nationalist problem. It would be of little use to offer and use all our energy for such a small ideal of region, when there are other more magnificent terms such as socialism, christianism, naturalism, anarchism...!

Regionalism –when not concealed nationalism– is inexplicable and inadequate. Even so, it can easily be mistaken for localism, synonymous with hermetecism.